Read this page for DATES of SNAANS, PLACES TO STAY in Kumbh, PM Modi's visit, special commemorative Simhasth Coin & Photography Competition
The grand Simhasth Kumbh in Ujjain is one of the four Kumbh Melaas (fairs) of India - which are unparalleled celebrations,
the largest spiritual gatherings in the world !! The other Kumbh Melaas are held at Haridwar, Prayag (Allahabad), and Nashik !! At the same place, a Kumbh Melaa is held every 12 years, based on the celestial line-up of planets and the signs of the Zodiac !! For the numbers, an estimated
5 crore (50 million) pilgrims, from all over the country and some even from abroad, are expected to attend this fair over the month long period !!
'Kumbh' in its literal English translation means a 'Pot/Urn', which emerged from “Samudra Manthan”(Churning of the Ocean) between Gods and Devils !! The term 'Melaa' signifies a 'large fair' !!
It is believed that the Gods and the Demons competed fiercely in the churning of the ocean in search of the divine nectar of immortality !! During this epic battle to capture the Urn (Kumbh) containing the nectar, drops of the precious liquid fell at four places – Haridwar, Prayag (Allahabad), Nashik and Ujjain !!
The Ujjain Kumbh is celebrated when Jupiter ascends into the Zodiac sign Leo's quarter or the Simha (Lion) constellation, which is why it is called 'Simhastha' !! It is known to be a time when spiritual energy travels all around the place during this holy event !! The Simhastha in Ujjain is regarded as all the more special as Ujjain is the seat of the divine lord
Mahakaleshwar - the Lord of all times !! The ritual of bathing in the holy waters of Kshipra begins on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Chaitr (March-April) and continues on various dates until the full moon shows up in the following month of Vaishakh !!
It’s a social harmony where you get to see many saints (Saadhus) and followers (sadhaks) gathering at one place !! Saadhus of various sects from across the country assemble in Ujjain and mingle with believers as they take their ritual dips in the holy waters of the Kshipra !! According to the Hindu religion, the holy bath (snaan) of the Kumbh is equal in piety to thousands of Kartik Snaans (holy dips in Kartik month), a hundred Magh Snaans (holy dips in Magh month) and crores (tens of millions) of Narmada Snaans (holy dips in River Narmada) !! The fruits of a Kumbh Snaans are equal to the fruits of thousands of Ashvamedh Yajnas and lacs of journeys around the Earth !!
In this unique mega fair, the pilgrims take dips in the holy waters, visit the
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirling temple and other ancient temples in and around Ujjain, and thereafter find spiritual solace in ‘
Satsang’ and ‘
Sankirtan’ in Mahaparv Kshetra (the grand fair area) with great
Saadhus !!
Traditionally, Simhasth Kumbh Mahaparv is celebrated by various 'Akhaadaas', where 'Peshwaee' (Procession) begins in their full glory !! The heads of these 'Akhaadaas' join the processions on Silver thrones (Simhasanam) on elephants or carriages !! It offers magnificent views with the presence of armed 'Saadhus' on horses and camels, followed by other Saadhus, hermits and devotees !! The 'Peshwaee' completes at the Ram Ghaat area on the banks of River Kshipra !!
The word 'Akhaadaa’ is a distorted form of the word ‘Akhand’, which means 'complete organisation' !! These traditional Indian organisations are training schools with all facilities for boarding, lodging, and training !!
In Ujjain, the Madhya Pradesh government's team of seniors officials is handling the administration of this mega event and have even set-up an advance help centre / forum for visitors !! You can register yourselves with the administration, based the areas of your interest/s for visiting the Simhasth Kumbh and then, you'll receive periodic updates accordingly !!
REGISTER HERE
The OFFICIAL HELP-LINE phone number for Simhasth Kumbh is 1100 (toll-free) and the POLICE number across the state and India is 100 !
When you are visiting the Simhasth Kumbh, you can click beautiful and rocking pictures of the people, cultures, monuments, and various other memorable moments and participate in the Indore Rocks Kumbh Photography Competition !! Click HERE !!
In the Simhasth Kumbh, based on the interest of visitors, various itineraries are also being planned, which include:
- Heritage Walk
- Ancient Temples
- Migratory Bird Spots
- Historical Monuments
- Ujjain District as an Educational Hub
- Ujjain District as an Agricultural (Biological and Natural) Production & Processing Centre
Besides the 5 crore believers that are supposed to come here, many celebrities, business-persons, politicians and other famous people are also expected to visit !! However, the most sough-after VIP visit would be that of India's Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi's, who's scheduled to come to Ujjain during Simhasth, on May 14, 2016, and along with the PM, the other very important personality coming to the Simhasth Kumbh would be the hon'ble President of Sri Lanka Mr. Maithripala Sirisena !!
PM Modi and President Sirisena would be attending the international ideological symposium of thinkers - Vichar Mahakumbh - where PM Modi would deliver the keynote address !! Check details of the conference: HERE
Proposed dates for the Snaans (Holy Dips in River Kshipra):
Chaitra Shukla Purnima – Vaishakha Shukla Purnima, Vikram Samvat 2073
Name of the Holy Dip Scheduled Date/s (Day/s)
Shahi Snaan (Royal Holy Dip) Chaitra Shukla 15, 22nd April, 2016 (Friday)
Pancheshani Yatra Start Vaishakh Krishna 9-30, 1st May (Sunday) to 6th May (Friday), 2016
Vratparv Varuthini Ekadashi Vaishakh Krishna 11, 3rd May, 2016 (Tuesday)
Vaishakh Krishna Amavasya Vaishakh Krishna 30, 6th May, 2016 (Friday)
Akshaya Tritiya Vaishakh Shukla 3, 09th May, 2016 (Monday)
Shankracharya Jayanti Vaishakh Shukla 5, 11th May, 2016 (Wednesday)
Vrishabh Sankranti Vaishakh Shukla 9, 15th May, 2016 (Sunday)
Mohini Ekadashi Vaishakh Shukla 11, 17th May, 2016 (Tuesday)
Pradosh Vaishakh Shukla 13, 19th May, 2016 (Thursday)
Nrusihn Jayanti Vaishakh Shukla 14, 20th May, 2016 (Friday)
Pramukh Shahi Snaan Vaishakh Shukla 15, 21st May, 2016 (Saturday)
Indore Rocks !!!, along with Lakshya Enterprises, gets you a rocking offer to buy the unique, specially-designed commemorative coins/tokens for this mega event - the Simhasth Kumbh Mahaparv in Ujjain !! You can view the details of these beautiful and rocking coins in our OFFERS section, or click here:
SIMHASTH KUMBH COIN
PLACES TO STAY in the SIMHASTH KUMBH in Ujjain:
Stay at the luxury, air-conditioned tents with modern bathrooms, which also serve all (vegetarian) meals, located at the Mahakumbh Tent City, on the River Kshipra banks, in Vedshala near Jantar Mantar Ujjain:
1 Luxury Camp (by Fort Amla) +9199778-33323 mahakumbhcampindia.com
But if you want to choose a budget accommodation in a basic hotel, right in the main areas of the Ujjain city, here are Indore Rocks' picks of some of the best available in Ujjain:
8 OYO Rooms At Hari Phatak - - - www.oyorooms.com
However, if you want to stay in a bit of luxury, but don't mind staying around 30 km away from Ujjain, you can opt for this heritage, luxury hotel, by the Welcome Group:
For hotels in Indore that you can use for the stay during the Kumbh visit, please see here: INDORE HOTELS
We hope you have a great and rocking visit to Indore, Ujjain, and the rest of MP state during this mega fest !!
Check out more on IndoreRocks.com for Indore's best restaurants, food festivals, offers, deals, hotels, events, cinemas, movies, attractions, places to visit, and much more !!